"Travel Notes from Langkawi" Pulau Langkawi by gdilieto

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I spent in Langkawi a weekend in the fall of 2005, two and a half years ago as of today that I'm writing these notes. Yet I have noticed that my page, where initially I had posted just few photos, receives a fair amount of visits thus I have decided to collect my thoughts and share some more insights and tips from my experience in the island.

I have visited few Malaysian islands in the year I lived in Malaysia, namely Penang, Perhentian Kecil and Langkawi and as a matter of fact Langkawi is the one I enjoyed the most as a beach destination. It is to be said that Langkawi does not compare in historical importance to Penang (that in my view is way worthier as historical and cultural destination rather than for a beach vacation) nor the sea and the beaches compare to the ones found in the Malaysian Eastern Coast islands (Perhentian Kecil, Redang, Tionman), but all in all, in my view, Langkawi offers the best balance between quality of beaches and availability of side sights and attractions that may make you enjoy your time without getting bored to death after a day or two stuck on the island with nothing else to do other than laying down on the beach watching the sea under the sunshine. In Langkawi you will find natural attractions, waterfalls, theme parks, animal farms, rural communities and - see my paragraph below - shopping facilities. All in all you have a handful of choices for spending your day and enjoying the variety of sights and attractions the island has to offer.

A friend of mine says Langkawi is boring, and as a matter of fact, with the tourism industry still developing, there isn't much of nightlife and the island is certainly not known as a partying paradise. It is yet a valuable destination for a beach vacation if you are after relaxing and enjoying yourself and the ones who are traveling with you.

Thanks for visiting my Langkawi page. I have enclosed additional information and photos in my Beaches of Langkawi and Sunsets of Langkawi travelogues. If you would like to get more specific tourist information, www.langkawi-online.com is a good source.

Langkawi is arguably renowned for its legends and myths. The best-known and most beloved one is the Legend of Mahsuri and the Langkawi Curse. Mahsuri was a beautiful young woman who, falsely accused of adultery, was sentenced to death. As she was dying, she cursed the island with seven generations of isolation and misfortune. Her blood, white in color, sign of her innocence, turned the sands of Langkawi's beaches white. A mausoleum has been built on the spot where Mahsuri lies buried, reminding the visitors of her sad fate and the legend of the curse. There are many other legends in Langkawi, either about name of places or about caves or mountains or - of course - about islands, contributing to create the myth of the "Island of Legends" and giving Langkawi a mysterious charm. For those interested in Legends of Langkawi this website tells the stories of few of the many ones available.

With the goal of fostering tourism and establishing the island as a premier beach-resort destination, Malaysian government has declared Langkawi a duty-free zone with consequent flourishing of plenty of shopping malls, outlets and other retail-sale establishments. You will find shopping places, usually with names like "Shopping Paradise", "Shopping Giant", "Bargain Heaven", scattered all around the island, selling every kind of merchandise from alcohol to cigarettes, fragrances, cosmetics, clothing, jewelry and electronics, just to name out few categories of goods. I must admit I'm not a shop-alcoholic nor a bargain expert but the choice of merchandise I have seen for sale did not seem to me differing from the one found in other places in Malaysia nor prices seemed significantly cheaper or any cheaper at all. I believe exploring the natural attractions of the island is an investment of your time way worthier than mall-crawling looking for little-value bargains.

• Pros:Nice Beaches With Few Other Worthwhile Attractions
• Cons:Poor Nightlife and Party-life
• In a nutshell:A Valuable Destination for a Relaxing Beach Vacation